Some US$14m in contracts and 50 jobs have been created following the recent two-day trade mission by Enterprise Ireland to Texas in the US, according to Ireland’s Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, TD.

Bruton’s announcement follows yesterday’s news that Irish company Duolog has opened two new offices in the Texas cities of Austin and Dallas.

The Enterprise Ireland trade mission involved stops in Austin and Houston. Bruton, along with Enterprise Ireland and 27 Irish companies, targeted opportunities for Irish companies in the oil and gas sector.

Among the contracts generated during the mission are Irish underwater technology company Cathx Ocean’s deal to supply equipment to enable a major US underwater vehicle manufacturer to ‘see clearly’ during underwater engineering operations, particularly around oil rigs and pipelines. This deal is expected to create 50 jobs in Kildare over the next two years.

GTSS, the maritime training arm of global shipping, logistics and marine services provider GAC and the National Maritime College of Ireland, won a contract to train Chevron Shipping’s junior officer corps. Under this deal, and over four years, more than 450 officers from around the world will receive maritime training through GTSS at the state-of-the-art National Maritime College of Ireland facility in Cork.

Bruton commended the 27 companies that participated in the trade mission.

“Among the 27 manufacturing, engineering and technology companies accompanying us this week are some truly brilliant companies, and the results announced today show what they are capable of achieving," Bruton said.

"Some of these are young companies who have grown rapidly to take advantage of the potential of the oil and gas sector – others are more established companies who have adapted their technologies to the opportunities offered by oil and gas.”